I have enjoyed full-time, uninterrupted work on Taming Wild since the end of August, with the exception of a week in CO with our kids.

For some reason, work on this painting is more difficult to accomplish with the kind of stops & starts that happen all during the busy, amazing Maine summertime. The results of my work are much more satisfying with the momentum of a daily routine, maybe because there is another layer of purpose for this painting. I’m doing something that I’ve never done before: the saddle’s embellishment is another artists’ work: I’m interpreting his leather carving into a watercolor painting, and I want to do that in a way that honors his recognizable, distinctive style. At the same time, I’m taking creative license with the sensuous, nouveau flow of the botanical elements and making it mine.

I really work preliminary drawings: lots of groping for the line and changing my mind. Years ago, I learned to do that on vellum to save the surface of my final draft paper for the sable tip of watercolor brushes. I end up with a contour drawing with lots of notes to myself about the details of light and shade, color, phone calls I need to return, etc. – an honest working draft. Read More

Setting up the saddle still life was going to be difficult, and the more I thought about what was involved, the more daunting it became. I’d been looking at the saddle on our banister in Brooklyn for a couple of weeks and made the decision to hang it: for a better view of my favorite parts, a more visually interesting angle, and a more interesting statement — the horizontal profile would have been the easier choice. Read More